Trump rankles GOP with threat to veto defense bill

Republicans in Congress on Wednesday rejected a last minute veto threat from President Donald Trump against a major defense policy bill, not interested in letting the President turn the normally bipartisan measure into a legislative dart aimed at big social media companies like Twitter and Facebook.

Leading the push back against the President was Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said he had directly told Mr. Trump that his desire to repeal what’s known as “Section 230” related to big tech companies should not be done as part of a yearly defense bill.

“There’s not much we do around here anymore on a bipartisan basis,” Inhofe wrote in a home state newspaper op-ed about the measure.

“Here’s why: each and every American benefits from this bill -each family, in each community, in each state,” Inhofe wrote, rattling off all sorts of beneficial military projects for his home state of Oklahoma.

In the hallways of the Capitol, Inhofe drove home that point to reporters as well.

A day earlier, the President had gone on Twitter to issue a veto threat against the defense bill, which has been approved 60 consecutive years by Congress, because it held no provisions about Big Tech.

In his post, the President said, “if the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill.”

But the veto threat fell flat with other GOP lawmakers as well.

“As a member of House Armed Services I am disgusted with these threats to veto the NDAA,” said Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI).

“I will vote to override,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who has more frequently spoken out against the President in recent weeks.

The President’s aggravation with Twitter was amplified on Wednesday, as he issued a White House-produced video, 46 minutes long, in which he again pressed evidence-free claims of massive election fraud.

While only a two minute snippet was posted on Twitter, the social media giant within five minutes slapped a warning label on the President’s message.

“I am determined to protect our election system,” the President said, even as courts have repeatedly tossed out lawsuits filed by the Trump Campaign, state Republican parties, and other GOP lawyers.